Body image and weight issues are two of the most overwhelming issues a person deals with on a daily basis. We have a constant reminder on billboards, radio, TV and in the news that obesity is an epidemic in the United States.
For those struggling with weight problems, much of this information just adds to the hopeless feeling they have.
Information shows us the need for change, but transformation gives us a desire to change. In my years of struggling with my weight, I did not realize that I was actually becoming addicted to food because of the food choices that I made. I did not realize that I was playing into the hands of the world that is under the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4) that was setting me up to steal, kill and destroy my health and eventually my life.
When I saw a sign that said, “The devil wants you fat!” it was a jolt to my mind. It became very real in that moment what was going on in my life. I hate the devil, and the last thing I wanted was to please him.
In that moment, I had a desire to change. This was a God moment. It was not just information, but it was a transforming thought placing a burning desire in my heart to change. It was a moment that brought repentance and an awareness that I was responsible and accountable for the way I had cared for my body.
Talk about getting my attention. I cried out to the Lord for help. I asked Him to give me a word for this situation in my life. Daniel 10:19 says, “So when he spoke to me I was strengthened, and said, ‘Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'” At that moment I needed strength.
Soon after this jolting moment in my life during my devotion time, the Lord spoke clearly in my spirit: “Break the habit.” Break the habit? That’s it? How easy is that? Well, I soon found out it was not easy. This was not just a food problem; it was a spiritual problem that had to be dealt with by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit led me to study nutrition. I became aware how certain foods affected my body. I’m not an expert, and I strongly urge you, if you are interested in losing weight and taking care of your body, to start at this point.
As I studied how chemicals have been added to our food to stimulate our taste buds, stripping the nutritional value and creating cravings that demand these foods, I understood how I had become addicted to certain foods through ignorance. Hosea 4:6 tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Once I surrendered my food addiction to the Lord, He gave me a battle plan that worked from the inside out and took 88 pounds from my body. During this time, I never had one thought about how much weight I wanted to lose. I wanted to honor God in my body and spirit, as I am told to do in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. I constantly meditated on God’s love for me as a woman of God made in His image.
I had to walk in forgiveness toward those who had said very hurtful things to me, toward those who had criticized me and rejected me because of my outward appearance—yes, toward those in Christian circles. I had to take responsibility for my actions and guard my heart.
It is possible to get off the roller coaster, fighting the battle of the bulge, when you understand there is a power greater than your taste buds. “Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it” (Prov. 16:22).
We can gain information from the world, but the power to change comes from the One who created us.
Joyce Tilney, founder of Women of God Ministries, teaching women today from women of yesterday, is the author of Why Diets Don’t Work: Food Is Not The Problem. To learn more visit her websites at wogminitries.com and whydiets.com.
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